


All My Barbed Parts

by AubreyDorst



Series: All For The Game One-Shots [2]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: F/M, im a sucker for these two, my favorite scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:40:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24395914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AubreyDorst/pseuds/AubreyDorst
Summary: The scene with Katelyn/Aaron when the group comes back from Columbia after Drake. They’ve become my favorite couple with each reread. Here’s that scene from Katelyn’s POV <3
Relationships: Katelyn/Aaron Minyard
Series: All For The Game One-Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1761610
Comments: 2
Kudos: 34





	All My Barbed Parts

All she could see was Matt’s back. All she could feel was this deep sense of dread that lay in the pit of her stomach. All she could think about was  _ him  _ and seeing him and holding him and loving him. 

Dan had reached out to her, knowing she would want to see Aaron the second he got back. But still, Katelyn was unsure, not knowing how he would react, how the others would react to her being here.

All she wanted was to hold him, to be with him and make sure he was okay. And if she couldn’t have that, she wanted to at least  _ see _ him. See that he was all in one piece, to see that the man she loved was alive and well and had come home to her. 

Matt stepped to the side, letting her see beyond him to the group of them standing there. But no one else mattered, no one else existed, her eyes instantly were drawn to Aaron. Her Aaron.

God, he looked tired. Sad. Broken. Hurt. There were dark circles under his eyes and his face crumbled at the sight of her. 

Some invisible force seemed to push him forward suddenly, stumbling past Nicky and running towards her.

It was the only cue she needed to go to him, to push herself past Matt and Dan and to just get to him, it was all she needed, all she wanted in this moment. And that hallway felt like it was a mile long, it felt like she would never get to him.

But there he was, barreling into her as she threw her arms around him and pulled him close, pulled him towards her in an impossibly tight grip. He pulled her towards his body at the same time, both of them limbs and heart ache and comfort. They were magnets that were so strong they could hardly leave any space between them. 

Katelyn moved her hands from his back to his neck to the back of his head, she pulled him into that space between her head and shoulders that fit him perfectly. Like she could shield him from the world, from the truth. 

“Hey.” She mumbled, her words muffled in his shirt, in his neck. “I’m here.”

Aaron just clung on to her tighter, the pain a relief to her. The worry had eaten her alive, leaving her feeling so helpless, unable to do anything for the man she loved.

“I’m here. I’ve got you.”

And she did, for however long she could. He was her person, her rock, her support. And every single ounce of love and comfort and hope that he had given her, she would give back times a million. He needed her as much as she needed him. And all the times that they had to hide, had to sneak around and deny what was right in front of them, it didn’t matter. None of it mattered except knowing in this moment that he was okay. Or at least as okay as he could be.

All she needed was to be there for him, to be strong for him. She would stay by his side, no matter what, no matter what he did, no matter how long she had to wait. He was  _ hers.  _ And he deserved the world, he deserved someone who was so devoted to him that nothing could push her away.

She held him and held him and held him until his rapid breaths seemed to even out a little bit, until the twisting ache that had lived in her gut the past few days was gone.

He had been handcuffed, taken into custody, questioned and questioned and ridiculed. And Katelyn knew he wouldn’t see himself as the hero. He wouldn’t look at this with apathy, no, he would hurt and hurt and hurt. And if she could take even a sliver of that hurt away from him, she would. She had to.

Someone touched Katelyn’s shoulder as the group headed towards one of the Foxes’ suites. She had forgotten that they were in the hallway with all the others, and she suspected that Aaron had forgotten too. He would always hide his emotions from them, but maybe this time he was just too tired to care.

Katelyn pulled away from Aaron, framing his face in her hands and brushing a soft kiss on his lips before skating a hand down his right arm and grabbing his hand. He hesitated, unwilling to move from the comforting embrace they had just been huddled in.

It only took a light tug on their clasped hands for her to get him moving, pulling him through the open door behind her. They settled on the couch, their hands still laced tightly together, their thighs and sides pressed against each other like the physical contact could heal them, could save them.

Dan spoke up, drawing Katelyn’s attention from Aaron’s stone cold face to survey the room full of Foxes.

"Look, I know we have our differences, and I know we haven't exactly had the easiest ride. But we're all Foxes. We're a team. What happens to one of us happens to all of us, and we're going to get each other through this. If there's anything you guys need, just let us know. Whether it's space, a drink, an ear—whatever. We're with you a hundred percent."

The statement soothed something in Katelyn. Even though she knew Aaron wouldn’t accept the help, she was glad it was there. The offering lingered in the air, in the silence of the room.

"I don't know if Coach told you, but it's all over the news." Matt looked from Nicky to Aaron. "People have been asking us about it."

"Looking for gossip," Aaron said, thick with derision and a hint of desperation. She needed to get him out of there.

"It's human nature," Allison said. "Might as well give them what they want."

"Fuck you." Aaron replied and Katelyn had to hold back her smile. It wasn’t appropriate but she couldn’t help it. Her Aaron. Her fierce Aaron who held her hand just a little bit tighter with every passing second.

"Enough," Dan said, ever the mediator.

It was too late, because Aaron was already getting up again, pulling Katelyn with him. He wanted to leave, wanted to get away from the people that he treated as mere acquaintances. She knew he wanted to escape to a place that could be just theirs, where she could hold him and he could hold her. A place where he would feel like nothing could touch him. She wanted to give him that, she wanted to give him everything.

Katelyn tugged the door firmly closed behind them, using her free hand to fish out her phone from her back pocket. She clumsily typed out a text to her roommates, letting them know she needed to room for an hour, for the evening. 

“If we walk the long way, my place will be empty by the time we get there.”

Aaron just nodded, his eyes straight ahead as he headed for the staircase.

Katelyn’s heart sank for him, ached for him, and she couldn’t help it as she held fast to his hand and tugged him to a stop.

He jolted and looked at her, his eyes filled with sadness and fear and he looked so tired, so exhausted. Katelyn’s arms came around him, just needing to hold him, to feel his strong body pressed against hers. She buried her face in his neck and just held onto him. Held and held and breathed him in, never wanting to let go. Just unbelievably relieved that he was back here with her.

Aaron clung onto her too, one arm looped around her back as the other hand held tightly to the back of her neck, pulling her closer and closer to himself. And his body started to shake, started to convulse in silent sobs as tears flooded her own eyes. Aaron. Her Aaron.

“I killed him.” The words were a croak, a pained confession that tore at her soul. 

This boy who she loved so much, who had experienced so much pain and rejection, who was still fighting every single day to be better, to be stronger. 

She didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what sweet words to mutter to make him feel better. Katelyn didn’t know if there  _ were _ any words that could help in this moment. So she just held him tighter, pressing a soft kiss to the crook of his neck. And when she pulled back this time, he was really fighting it. He was holding onto her like she was a raft and he was a drowning man. But she needed to see him. Katelyn needed to see those loving eyes and that drawn brow.

Once again she cupped his face in her hands, staring into the eyes of the man she loved. Her thumbs moved of their own volition, wiping at the tears that cascaded down his face.

“I love you.” Her voice was a whisper, a crack splitting the words between them. And so she said it again, stronger and confident so he knew. So Aaron really knew. “I love you, Aaron.”

He just let out a heavy breath, nodding slightly and pulling her in for another hug. He didn’t need to say it back, she knew he loved her. He had told her before. She didn’t need to hear the words but she knew he did as she felt some of the tension seep out of him at her statement. It was like Aaron thought that maybe, there was a possibility that she wouldn’t love him anymore. It was preposterous and made her heart feel like it was breaking in two.

It had surprised her in the beginning, how touchy feely he was. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly she made his hard exterior crumble to show the soft center that lay resting inside.

And it had never bothered her, that he was a little bit shorter than her, that he loved to burrow his head in the sensitive crook of her neck. Their bodies molded together, like two pieces of a puzzle. Like they were made to fit together, like they were made to hold each other. 

Aaron had told her about his past, about the hardships that he had faced. The abuse. The drugs. The withdrawal. She had absorbed all the hurt and understood and had been there for him. But this was different. This time she could be there for him, could help him through it. She could offer an ear, a hand, a heart to this man who had always gone through everything alone. This loving soul who had always been surrounded by people, but been so utterly alone. 

She loved him, she would always love him. And none of the rest mattered. Not his past, not this, not the fucked up shit that would happen in his future. She would love him through all of it. And hold him. All his barbed parts, all his broken pieces.

They were hers. They were  _ theirs. _

So she grabbed his hand and started walking, looping the fingers of her right hand through the fingers of his right hand. It was her favorite way to walk, pulling his arm over her shoulder and holding onto the hand that dangled in front of her. And with his body pressed to hers, their feet falling in synchronization, they would face this together. They would conquer this together. Today, tomorrow, this month, this year. Forever. 

**Author's Note:**

> I didn’t proofread this. Sorry not sorry <3 thanks for reading if you made it this far :***


End file.
